09-06-11 (Tu)

Tech Set-Up for Planting Your Digital Footprint

• Buy books and supplies.
• Read about Personal Learning Networks (PLNs) here.
• Accept my invitation to our Ning by clicking here: http://21centuryliteracies2010.ning.com/
  • Bookmark this Ning page on your home computer (along with the Course Calendar/Wiki and the Student Site, but note that these pages are linked, too, from the Navigation Menu that runs across the top of the Ning).
  • Explore and play around with the features of the Ning; finish your profile on your “My Page;" upload a profile picture.
  • If you like, create a voki for yourself (http://www.voki.com/) to be added to your Ning "My Page."
    • Once you're satisfied with your voki, scoll down to "Embed" under your new voki. Select "Other"; then "large" as the desired size; and then copy the code from the text box. Go back to your "My Page" on our Ning, find the "Text Box" bar on the page and select "Edit." Paste the code from voki into this box. Click "Save" and your voki should appear!
  • Comment on the profiles of at least two other classmembers whom you don't yet know (well).
• Read Solomon and Schrum, "Wikis" (135-150).
  • Watch "Wikis in Plain English" (3:53).
  • Accept my invitation (sent to your Cortland email account) to our student wiki on Wikispaces and set up an account.
  • Create and list your own wiki page (as directed by the instructions on the student wiki).
• If you have not already done so, complete the course survey that I emailed earlier this summer.
• Read: Solomon and Schrum, "Microblogs: Twitter" (33-45).
  • Have set up an accounts on Twitter (and Tweetdeck); see link for additional instructions/assignments for Twitter.
• Read: Solomon and Schrum, "Evernote" (185-187).
  • Have set up your Evernote account (invitation in your Cortland email; once you sign up, I think you can change your email account, if you like).
  • Download the Web Clipper app to your desktop/browser so that you can clip (or store/share) pages at will.
  • Also download the Evernote app for your computer; this will make using Evernote much easier (the web interface is much less friendly and has much less functionality than the desktop version).
    • For Windows
    • For Mac
  • Have saved/shared at least one note of relevance to your classmates in our Evernote "506 Notebook" that I shared with you.
  • Of course, you can create your own personal Evernote notebook(s) outside of the 506 one and start saving anything you want there.
• Read: Solomon and Schrum, "Productivity Applications" (63-78).
  • Accept my invitation to share a "collection" on Google Docs (sent to your Cortland email account).Within that ENG 506 Collection, create your own collection (i.e., folder), as I have already done for myself.
    • 1.Drag and drop the ENG 506 Class Data Sheet that I also shared with you, so that it is located within your personal collection within the 506 collection.
      • Add your e-mail address, Twitter address, Twitter handle, and (if you have one) Skype handle to this spreadsheet
      • If you don't have a Skype account, sign up for a one and add your info to the spreadsheet.
    • 2.Create another Google Docs "collection," but store this one OUTSIDE the ENG 506 File.
      • When you are outside of that folder (clicking on "My Collections" in the sidebar you bring you to where you need to be), you should be able to check a box next to that file.
      • Check that box and from the "Actions" pulldown menu, click "Share."
      • Share this file with me (as a collaborator, or allowing me to "edit" the docs -- I will give you comments sometimes).
      • This will be your file for your "Reading and Listening Notes" and other private writings (that you share with only me, and not your classmates). Your collaborative writings and shared personal writing will be kept in your file or the class file in the ENG 506 collection.
• Write: Contribute questions -- large and small, conceptual and technical -- as they occur to you during your work for the class during the next two weeks to our Running Questions List on Google Docs. We will use these questions to help plan the remainder of our semester and to brainstorm collaborative projects in our next class meeting.
• Watch:

• Discuss your reactions on our Blackboard Discussion Forum (under our MyRedDragon/My e-Learning classes/ENG 506).